Summary: This deals with the Far Country and the reasons people find themselves there. The Far Country is anywhere a person tries to live without God.

Ill. Herman and Henrietta were taking a tour of their new home that they had dreamed about, planned for, designed themselves. A home that Henrietta had paid for with her own money.

As they went from one room to another and admired the beauty of their new home, in each one of those rooms Henrietta turned to her husband and said, “Honey, I want you to know that if it wasn’t for my money we wouldn’t be here.” And Herman, didn’t say a word.

That afternoon a moving van came to the house filled with brand new furniture for everyone of those rooms in the house; furniture that Henrietta had paid for with her own money.

And as they went on another tour with the furniture all in place and they saw each room with furniture that Henrietta paid for with her money, in each one of those rooms Henrietta said, “Honey, if it weren’t for my money none of this furniture would be here.” And Herman didn’t say a word.

Then another truck came with a combination stereo/TV and computer all in one gorgeous piece of furniture. It was a piece of furniture that You Guessed It! Henrietta had paid for with her own money. And as they sat back to relax in their home, once more Henrietta said, “Honey, if it weren’t for my money this piece of furniture wouldn’t be here.” Finally Herman spoke and said, “You know, honey, if it weren’t for your money, I wouldn’t be here either.”

Why are we here this morning? We have come together to worship the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. And to learn something new from His Word. Let’s pray.

This is probably one of the most famous story that has ever been told. It is a story that came from our Master’s lips.

Thousands of sermons have been preached on this particular passage. Some preach on the fatherly love of God. Others about the son, the prodigal who ran away from home and wasted his life in the slop of the pig pen. Some preach on the older brother, who stayed at home and was jealous and envious. I have even heard pastors that spend half of their message on the terrible thing of associating with hogs.

BRETHREN, I WON’T MAKE THAT APPLICATION TODAY!!!

I want us to focus our attention on a part of the story that is most often neglected.

Not the loving Father, and not the prodigal Son, and not the older brother. I want us to look at THE FAR COUNTRY.

Jesus tells us that the boy wasn’t happy at home. Sounds like your average teenager to me!

We don’t know why the boy was unhappy. He may have been bored. Or maybe he became embittered because his father was jerking the leash and holding him back.

Or maybe it was out of the spirit of adventure that sometimes erupts in the human heart. We don’t know why but Jesus tells us that this boy was unhappy.

And he came to his father and said, “I want everything that’s mine.” And the Bible says, “The father gave it to him.” And vs 13 tells us “The young man gathered all together and he took a journey into the far country.”

I WANT US TO TALK ABOUT THE FAR COUNTRY. AND I WANT US TO ANSWER SOME BASIC QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FAR COUNTRY. AND I WANT US TO BEGIN TRYING TO DETERMINE WHERE THE FAR COUNTRY IS.